Along with bells ringing, the holiday season brings the sound of cash registers going cha-ching. The question is whether one prefers shopping in the store or online.

Senior Lucas Howell has no doubt.

“I buy my gifts on the internet,” senior Lucas Howell said. “It’s definitely better.”

Howell affirms that there are some bad parts of purchasing online. “You can’t touch the product,” he said. “Maybe it’s a fraud, but I’ve never had that problem. It’s safe if you know how to do it, although there are some risks.”

But then, opinions against electronic purchases have risen. Some consumers say that the internet is destroying jobs and hitting small commerce even more that the big companies’ market-strategy.

English teacher Carol Campbell is more likely to buy in a store.

“It depends,” Ms. Campbell said. “I will buy a basketball for my granddaughter online, but I definitely won’t buy an antique on the internet.”

To Ms. Campbell, buying in shops is more “personal” and ends with “nicer transactions.”

Looking to the numbers, the stats say that this year every citizen is going to spend an average of $929 on gifts, according to a study by American Research Group. From this, 55 percent is going to be spent on the internet.

This number always depend on sales. American Research Group also reports that 61 percent of the consumers will wait on sales

Between online or traditional shops, Mrs. Levy rejects both.

“I don’t like to buy my presents,” Mrs. Levy said. “I prefer to make my own gifts.”